


hello's a good start

by redluxite (wordstruck)



Series: VLD One-Shots [13]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Art Student Keith, Barista Shiro, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Pining Shiro (Voltron), coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-26 00:07:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14389956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordstruck/pseuds/redluxite
Summary: “Will do.” Matt finishes tapping in the details. “Can we have your name for the order?”Shiro inhales sharply, breath catching in his throat. This is it. This is the single most important piece of information he’ll commit to his brain in his entire life. He’s about to find out the name of this glorious angel that’s just walked into his life, with those long legs and that impeccable face and--“Keith.” The guy hands over his payment and ID for the student discount.Keith, Shiro repeats in his mind, smiling beatifically.Hunk steps on his foot.(Why yes, have another coffee shop AU)





	hello's a good start

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday [@paladiens!!!](https://twitter.com/paladiens) ❤︎❤︎ I know this isn't your coffee shop AU prompt but I hope you like it all the same XD Written partly as a birthday gift and partly bc I think we're all in need of some feel-good fluff rn (I know I am, so here's something indulgent).
> 
> Will I ever get tired of writing pining, flustered, dorky Shiro? The answer is no. Please imagine him looking at Keith in the coffee shop while Out Of My League by Stephen Speaks plays in the background.
> 
> Unbeta'd so I'll edit retrospectively as needed. (Also, I apologize if the story doesn't feel cohesive kdlsjdlaksd) Yes I know there's a pattern developing in my coffee shop Sheith fics. Let me be happy.

* * *

 

 

Shiro looks from his wallet, to his online debit card account, to the spread in his planner that he’s using as an expense tracker. He thinks about how long it’s going to be until he gets his next payments from his athletic scholarship stipend and his part-time RA duties with Professor Iverson. Then he thinks about the stuff he’s got to pay for over the next few weeks -- his phone bill, the fix for his laptop screen, his new transit pass. Food and water.

His head thunks to the surface of the desk. Seated across from him, Matt doesn’t even blink.

“I need a job,” Shiro says into the woodwork.

Matt highlights something in his textbook and hums.

“Pick up more hours with Iverson?”

“He won’t let me.”

“TA for Professor Kolivan?”

“Antok’s doing that.”

“Professor Slav?”

Shiro shudders, making a face. “I value my life and sanity.”

“Point taken.” Matt scribbles something in his notebook, then taps his pen on his textbook, contemplative. “Any particulars?”

Shiro thinks this over. “Not really,” he muses, turning his head so his cheek is pressed to the desk and he can watch Matt try to balance his pen on his upper lip. “So long as the pay’s decent and it’s flexible enough to work around my school and training schedule.”

Matt puckers his lips to pin the pen between them and his nose. Shiro turns to squishing his nose into the woodwork.

“We’ll figure something out.”

 

“I might have something for you,” Allura says two days later over lunch. They’re settling in the quad by the humanities building, readings and notebooks spread out around them -- magnetism and electricity for Matt; anthropological theory for Shiro; and ideology in politics for Allura.

Shiro takes a sip from his sports drink and looks at her. “Might have what?”

Allura pokes him with her highlighter. “A job. Matt said you were looking.”

“Oh.” Shiro blinks. “Yeah, that’d be great. What is it?”

“My godfather, Coran?” Allura sets down her highlighter to redo her ponytail, quick and sure movements. “He’s just renovated the old cafe just outside campus, and he’ll be opening soon. Right now he’s looking for people to pick up some of the shifts.”

Shiro _does_ remember that tidbit -- the old cafe, Brewed Awakening, was the source of caffeine for about half the Garrison campus’ student population, for all that the coffee itself was pretty shit. It closed for renovation and transfer of ownership some months ago. Matt had actually cried.

“It’ll pay more than your current RA job,” Allura points out, shifting her notes in her lap. “And Coran’s a good man, he’ll be willing to adjust your shifts to your schedule. And it comes with free coffee.”

Beside them, Matt emerges from where he’d been staring at his notes in a stupor. His head moves slowly until he’s looking at Allura with the eyes of a desperate man. “Free coffee?”

Allura regards him with mild concern for a moment. “Yes, free coffee.”

Matt stares at her harder and leans forward. “Please also give me this job.”

Shiro reaches out and gently eases Matt backwards so he’s a little less in Allura’s space. Allura presses her lips together, although Shiro can see the corners of her mouth twitching when she turns back to him. “Shiro?”

As if he’d say no to free coffee and more money.

“We’ll talk to Coran,” he says.

Allura smiles. “Excellent. I’ll tell him when I get home.”

 

After several adjustments and discussions, Shiro and Matt are assigned their shifts at Brewed Awakening. They pick up the opening shifts on the days Shiro doesn’t have morning practice -- Mondays and Thursdays -- and the late afternoon shifts on Fridays and Sundays. It’s kind of a lot, but the pay is enough that Shiro doesn’t have to RA for Iverson anymore, so it gives him a bit more leeway.

“And _free coffee,_ Shiro,” Matt says for the dozenth time, the Wednesday before their first shift at the cafe. Shiro nods and thinks to himself that free coffee is entirely the reason why Matt is taking this job in the first place. It’s not like he needs it; with his father on tenure in the engineering faculty, Matt’s tuition is essentially non-existent, as are most of his other school expenses.

“Free coffee,” Matt mutters again, mostly to himself, clutching Shiro’s tumbler to his chest.

Shiro quietly pries it away from him and leaves the student lounge so he can make it to football practice on time.

 

The next morning finds Shiro and Matt standing blearily in the back room, listening to Coran give them instructions on how their shifts will go. Or well, mostly listening; it's a little past five in the morning, so both of them are still in the process of getting their brains to work.

“--and that’s about it!” Coran claps his hands together and looks from Matt to Shiro, smiling entirely too brightly for someone awake at the ass crack of dawn. Shiro blinks and nods, attempting to look like he'd actually processed all the information Coran has given them. To his left, Matt isn’t even trying; he’s just squinting in the flourescent lights of the cafe’s back room, swaying slightly on his feet.

“Then I’ll leave you two to set up while I supervise the food delivery.” Coran claps Shiro on the shoulder, hesitates before patting Matt very lightly on the head, and then heads off to the rear entrance to meet the food truck. Shiro shakes his head in an attempt to clear the sleep-haze from his brain, and hauls Matt along with him to the main cafe area so they can set up shop.

At 6:15am, they’ve got the tables set up and wiped down, the food arranged in the display case, and everything prepped behind the counter. Matt also looks more human after he’d appropriated the first batch of coffee for the day and chugged half the mug in one go. Shiro stands at the counter, nervously checking over their menu and mentally rehearsing how to use the register. Their third shiftmate, a good-natured guy named Hunk, rearranges their food display.

“I’ll be in the back room if you need me,” Coran says, and then he disappears.

At 6:30am, the new and improved Brewed Awakening is ready to open and welcome the stream of university students in desperate need of caffeine before their classes start.

At 7:45am, Shiro is perhaps a little overwhelmed.

He’s accompanied Matt to coffee shops in the morning before, and rushed to pick up a cup before class himself, but being on the other side of the counter is a whole other experience. The morning rush is a chaos of cranky students and some workers ordering breakfast and terrifying amounts of coffee. Still, Shiro, Matt, and Hunk cope, working around each other at the bar to get the orders filled and handed out as efficiently as they manage.

Things begin to die down close to 8:00am, and Shiro can breathe a little easier.

Until, of course, their next customer walks into the cafe.

He’s -- _arresting,_ is the first word that comes to Shiro’s mind when it comes back online. Shiro looks from the chunky boots, up legs that look like they go on for miles -- in fishnet stockings under denim shorts, no less -- to a lithe torso in a black crop top and oversized red bomber jacket. Then Shiro gets to the guy’s face and he chokes on his own spit.

Mr. Leggy and Gorgeous comes up to their food display, head tilted to the side and dark hair falling around his face, out of the low ponytail he’s put it in. His teeth dig into a plush bottom lip as he contemplates the options. Shiro physically cannot tear his eyes away.

Matt whacks him upside the head as he goes to the counter to take the guy’s order, because cognitive function is clearly beyond Shiro’s capability at the moment.

“Welcome to Brewed Awakening,” Matt says with a smile, while Hunk pokes at Shiro and tries to get him to unfreeze. “Can I take your order?”

“Yeah, thanks,” and oh, of course his voice is beautiful too. Shiro sags against the counter, almost knocking over the milk jugs. Hunk pushes him upright in alarm. Leggy and Gorgeous doesn’t seem to notice. “I’ll take a, ah. Regular caramel macchiato, iced, and the bagel bites.”

“Got it.” Matt rings up the order. “Would you like that for here?”

 _Say yes,_ Shiro thinks, oblivious to Hunk’s increasingly exasperated attempts to move him so Hunk can get at the syrups.

“Sure.” Leggy and Gorgeous flashes a brief smile and Shiro goes weak in the knees.

“Will do.” Matt finishes tapping in the details. “Can we have your name for the order?”

Shiro inhales sharply, breath catching in his throat. This is it. This is the single most important piece of information he’ll commit to his brain in his entire life. He’s about to find out the name of this glorious angel that’s just walked into his life, with those long legs and that impeccable face and--

“Keith.” The guy hands over his payment and ID for the student discount.

 _Keith,_ Shiro repeats in his mind, smiling beatifically.

Hunk steps on his foot.

When Matt turns around to check if his friend has finally snapped out of his trance, he finds Shiro already halfway through prepping Keith’s order. There’s an embarrassed flush over his cheeks, and Hunk is shaking his head as he waits for the bagel bites to heat up in the microwave. Matt heaves a sigh and turns back to take the order of the next student in need of a coffee fix.

When the time comes to bring Keith’s order to his table, however, suddenly both Matt and Hunk are extremely preoccupied.

Shiro looks at his shiftmates in betrayal.

“You just have to bring him the coffee and food,” Matt points out, placing the tray in Shiro’s hands and turning him around.

“But what do I _say?”_ Shiro asks plaintively.

“Just tell him to enjoy the food or something, christ.” Matt gives him a shove, almost making Shiro stumble.

Right, okay. Shiro can do that.

He weaves his way through the tables to where Keith’s seated in an armchair near the windows. There’s a sketchbook open on his lap, and an array of pencils scattered beside his open laptop. He’s got his earphones in, lips moving almost imperceptibly to whatever song he’s got playing.

Shiro nearly trips over a chair as he comes to Keith’s table and sets the order down very carefully beside Keith’s stuff.

“Here you go,” he says, trying for a pleasant smile.

Keith startles slightly, pulling an earphone out and looking up at Shiro and _wow,_ okay. Stunning violet-gray eyes meet Shiro’s, widening in realization when Keith flicks them down to the tray of food and coffee.

“Thanks,” he says, and that small crooked grin of his is like a punch to the gut.

“Yeah,” Shiro says, dazed and a little breathless. “Nice to have your day.”

A tiny furrow appears between Keith’s brows. Shiro stares at the window in mortification. Slowly, mechanically, he nods and turns around to shuffle back to the counter with as much dignity as he can salvage.

Matt takes one look at his expression and pats him gently on the arm.

“There, there, big guy,” his friend says, with not one ounce of sympathy. “I’m sure he still thinks you’re hot.”

Hunk snorts. Shiro begs the universe for the floor to swallow him whole.

Keith stays until half past 9, and smiles at Shiro on his way out.

It’s not a quiet, painless disappearance into the earth that eradicates any trace of his fuck-up, but Shiro feels pretty good all the same.

 

Keith quickly establishes a routine at the coffee shop, showing up on Monday and Thursday mornings around 8:00am and leaving before his class at ten. He also comes on Friday afternoons, staying until after Shiro’s shift ends at 8:00pm. The armchair by the window becomes his usual spot, the table littered with art supplies or his laptop and notes.

Shiro also learns a few things about Keith, which he treasures like they’re the last ten dollars in his bank account:

One, Keith is a visual arts major with fantastic talent, and he’s making quite a reputation for himself in the arts department;

Two, Keith is cross-enrolled in some engineering classes, for some unknown reason. (This particular piece of information has been helpfully supplied by Matt, who’s been reluctantly roped into Shiro’s campaign of learning about Keith, because Shiro is _hopeless_ );

Three, Keith is _brilliant_ in his engineering classes (and this particular piece of information has also been provided by Matt, who then went on to say that all of this is ridiculously unfair and where does Keith get off being that skilled, except then Shiro’s brain had short-circuited at the words _Keith_ and _get off_ and Matt had thrown a book at him);

And four, Keith is possibly flirting with him.

That last bit, Shiro’s not so sure, because yeah Keith smiles at him a lot and chats with Shiro over the counter (or well, talks at Shiro while Shiro tries to remember how words work) and one time he’d actually _laughed,_ eyes scrunched up and hand over his mouth and pink cheeks and _god_ Shiro had wanted to take that sound and press it between the pages of a book to keep and--

 _The point is,_ Keith does these things and while it could mean _something,_ Shiro prefers to err on the side of caution and not assume things.

“That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard from you,” Matt informs him while they’re in the student lounge, pretending to work. “And you’ve said some really stupid things.”

Shiro looks at his friend askance.

“What?” Matt frowns at him, disbelieving. “What about that time you asked me if--”

“ _Yes_ , well,” Shiro says quickly, talking over his friend. “I just -- you never know? He could just be really nice because we give him coffee in the mornings or… something.”

He trails off, looking a bit to the left. Matt levels Shiro with his best deadpan look before rolling his eyes.

“You’re an idiot,” he says definitively, pulling his static mechanics textbook towards himself so he can start _actually_ getting some work done instead of ignoring his notes in favor of listening to Shiro pine after Keith.

Shiro looks at his friend for a few more moments before dropping his head to press his brow to the table. They stay like that in silence for a while.

“Next time you should just ask him if he wants to make out with--”

“ _Matt._ ”

 

Allura is also decidedly amused (and unimpressed) when Matt recounts to her the saga that is Shiro having a crush on the cute sophomore in the arts department. She listens to Matt talk while Shiro hides behind  his linguistics textbook.

“So I got you a job and you end up getting a crush,” Allura says, barely hiding her smirk.

“It’s less of a crush and more of a disaster, honestly,” Matt clarifies, flipping through his notebook.

“Shut _up_ ,” Shiro says miserably.

Allura cracks up. Matt’s shoulders are shaking where he’s got his face buried in his notes.

Shiro would hate them both, but they’re kind of right.

 

Shiro misses his Friday afternoon shift for an away game against the Marmora University Blades, which they win, 1-0. The pre-game prep and game itself are intense, but he still finds it in him to spare a thought to mourn a missed afternoon spent watching Keith work in the coffee shop. Still, it’s a good win, and they get an even better one on Sunday morning against the Olkari Tech Warriors. Shiro sacks out the minute he gets back to his dorm room, waking up just in time for his late afternoon shift.

To his surprise, when he emerges from the back room to take his place at the counter, Keith’s already there in his spot by the window. He’s got a mug of coffee and a plate of half-eaten waffles, and is sketching something intensely. Shiro feels a pang of disappointment that he hadn’t picked up Keith’s order, but since Keith being here at all on a Sunday is a rarity, all’s well on the balance.

(Plus, Keith is in yet another stunning outfit -- ripped jeans cuffed over red wedge sneakers, and a charcoal grey sweater that’s falling off one shoulder. His hair tumbles loose around his ears. Shiro steals glances at him until Matt smacks him in the face with the order pad.)

Shiro, Matt, and Hunk soldier through the Sunday early evening rush, handling the flurry of orders as it comes. They only get one irate customer this time, which Hunk handles with his easy-going and placating personality. When the line finally thins out, Shiro looks up and feels a sharper stab of disappointment when he finds Keith’s already packed up and left.

Then he goes to clear out Keith’s table, and disappointment morphs into confusion.

There’s a small scrap of paper left tucked under the mug, that Shiro first mistakes for trash. But as he picks it up, he notices something scribbled on it in pencil.

 _Shiro--_  
_k.kogane@gg.edu_  
_I don’t have morning classes tomorrow after your shift_ _  
Keith_

Shiro stares at the words for a long moment before his brain finally processes two things:

One, that’s Keith’s university email, which means Shiro can now message him via the university’s student forum system, and

Two, Keith is asking him out.

Maybe.

He walks back to the counter and wordlessly hands Matt the scrap of paper. His friend frowns as he takes it, but that changes into wide-eyed surprise as he reads the paper.

“Does that say what I think it says,” Hunk asks, peering over Matt’s shoulder.

Shiro continues to stare into middle distance.

Matt reaches out and tucks the scrap into Shiro’s jeans pocket with a satisfied smirk.

“There we go,” he says smugly, although it might as well have been _I told you so._

They go through the rest of their shift with Shiro in a daze and Matt looking entirely too pleased. But it doesn’t quite sink in for Shiro until they’re retrieving their stuff from the tiny employees’ locker room out back, and Shiro abruptly realizes Keith’s _given Shiro his university email_ and has _asked him out._

“Matt,” Shiro says, urgently, reaching out to shake his friend by the shoulder.

“What-- Shiro, _ow._ ”

“Matt.” He turns to his friend in panic.

“ _What._ ”

“What do I _wear?”_

 

Shiro shows up to the Monday shift entirely too early for someone who’d spent the entirety of last night fretting and sending Matt too many messages. He’s wearing a red-violet Henley and his best pair of jeans, although it gets partially covered up by the apron. Matt clocks in at a little before six, followed by Hunk, who takes over arranging the food display when it becomes clear Shiro is too anxious to label the pastries correctly.

Then comes the morning rush, which is a blessed distraction, but Shiro’s nervousness returns when the things quiet down.

Then Keith walks through the doors, and Shiro forgets how to breathe.

He’s wearing his chunky boots again, this time with a pair of high-waisted shorts under a cropped, hunter green top. His hair is pulled back, exposing the black choker around his neck. He comes to a stop in front of the display case, yawning a bit.

Shiro keeps staring.

Hunk steps on his foot again.

Then Keith looks up and meets Shiro’s eyes, and there’s a fond smile there in the corners of his eyes and the smallest uptick of his mouth. And _god_ Shiro is already so gone for Keith.

“Good morning,” Keith says, moving over so he can place his order.

“Hi,” Shiro replies, very elegantly. It makes Keith laugh.

“Are we on for after your shift, then?” he asks, leaning against the counter.

“Yes,” Shiro answers very quickly. He can hear Matt desperately trying to muffle his laughter from somewhere to his right.

“Good,” Keith says, and he smiles.

Shiro is so far gone for this boy; he really, _really_ is.

 

True to his word, Keith’s still in his seat by the window when Shiro clocks out of his shift and comes to find him. He’s sketching again, but looks up when Shiro approaches the table a little nervously.

“Didn’t think you’d gotten my note,” he says slyly, closing his sketchbook and pinning Shiro with a look. “Since you didn’t message me.”

Shiro grimaces sheepishly when he takes the chair opposite.

“Didn’t know what to say,” he admits, running a hand through his hair.

" _Hello_ would have been a start,” Keith points out.

Shiro blinks at him, and abruptly feels a little ridiculous. He scrubs a hand over his face and exhales a tiny laugh.

“Point taken,” he says, corner of his mouth quirking. “Hello then, Keith.”

The boy across him presses his lips together in a quiet laugh, shaking his head.

“Hello, Shiro,” he says. It’s the first time Shiro’s hearing his name in Keith’s voice, and that, well.

Something warm blooms in Shiro’s chest, spreading out as Keith smiles at him and asks if he wants to go somewhere to get lunch.

“Sure,” he says, easily, getting up.

Keith fits against him so easily as they make their way out.

 

He gets a message from Keith later that day, after he gets back to his dorm from class. Shiro’s in the middle of getting ready to shower when his phone lights up.

 **k.kogane** > _hello, shiro_

It’s just two words, but the message and the inside joke are enough to make Shiro smile. He leans against his closet shelf and types his reply, then leaves for the dorm bathroom.

 

 **t.shirogane** > _hello, keith_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, and I hope you liked it!! ❤︎ Come say hi on social media; I'm [@okw_tr](https://twitter.com/okw_tr) on Twitter and [okwtr](https://okwtr.tumblr.com) on Tumblr. You can check there for ways to support my writing!


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